| MJ | |
|---|---|
| The Musical | |
 Broadway poster | |
| Music | Various artists |
| Lyrics | Various artists |
| Book | Lynn Nottage |
| Basis | The life and music ofMichael Jackson |
| Premiere | December 6, 2021 (2021-12-06):Neil Simon Theatre, New York City |
| Productions | 2021Broadway 2023 U.S. Tour 2024West End 2024Hamburg 2025Australia 2026 Asia Tour 2027 UK Tour |
| Awards | Full list |
MJ the Musical is ajukebox musical based on the life of the American entertainerMichael Jackson, focusing on his creative process prior to theDangerous World Tour. It features Jackson's music, with a book byLynn Nottage,[1][2] and direction & choreography byChristopher Wheeldon.
MJ was scheduled to premiere onBroadway in mid-2020, but was postponed due to theCOVID-19 pandemic in New York City.[3] In November 2019,Ephraim Sykes was cast as Jackson,[4][5] but in June 2021 it was announced that he had been replaced byMyles Frost.[6] The production began previews at theNeil Simon Theatre on December 6, 2021, and officially opened on February 1, 2022.[7] It opened in theLondon West End on March 27, 2024 until February 28, 2026.
MJ The Musical received mixed reviews from critics but universal acclaim from audiences.[8][9] It was nominated for 10Tony Awards includingBest Musical, with the musical winning four awards, includingBest Actor in a Musical for Frost, as well asBest Choreography,Best Lighting Design andBest Sound Design. The original cast recording was also nominated for theGrammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album. By August 2025 the Broadway production had grossed $280 million and sold more than 5 million tickets worldwide.[10][11][12]
In June 1992, the cast members are preparing for rehearsals for Jackson's upcoming Dangerous World Tour; the first show inMunich,Germany is in two days. Rob, their manager, tells them to get into their places and warm up. Jackson arrives and watches the process, which leads to the opening number ("Beat It").
As Jackson shares his newest ideas with Rob, Rachel arrives with her cameraman, Alejandro, in hopes of getting an interview with Jackson. He sits with Rachel and recounts some of the terrors he suffered as a child and some of the memorable times whenBerry Gordy played his family's hits on his Motown label. Jackson also discusses his collaboration withQuincy Jones and recording his albumsOff the Wall,Thriller andBad with Jones.
Rob and Nick escort Jackson to the press conference atRadio City Music Hall, where he presents his tour and hopes to raise $100 million for theHeal the World Foundation by Christmas 1993 ("Earth Song" / "They Don’t Care About Us").
Jackson proposes new ideas for the tour ("Billie Jean"/"Smooth Criminal"), which Rob and Dave tell him are impractical and that they cannot afford it. Jackson recounts the horrific accident in 1984 when a spark ignited his hair in the making of an advertisement forPepsi. After listening to Rob's negative feedback, Jackson reminds him of something Quincy said to him, "Keep the faith. Don't let nobody take you down".
As the rehearsal continues, Jackson tells Rachel how the songs open up to him. During a break, a commotion breaks out. Rob tries to keep Rachel away from Jackson and doesn't want her near him, but Jackson manages to find her by disguising himself as a cleaner. He explains to her that the disguise is the only way he can be seen in public, which leads to him singing "Human Nature". After the rehearsal, Jackson explains to Rachel how emotional he feels about being loved by fans and about being teased in the newspapers. He tries to blame everything sad and unusual about himself on others (especially the press) but takes sole credit for his good deeds and success.
As Rob comes to check up on him, Jackson recalls when he played at theApollo Theater withthe Jackson 5 and how he wasn't nervous. Rob tells Jackson that everything they created would be remembered for decades, but the latter replies by asking "Is it perfect?" ("Man in the Mirror"). Jackson appears on stage, prepared to start the first show of the Dangerous Tour, ("Jam (Reprise)", "Black or White" / "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin' (Reprise)".
| Character | Broadway[13] | US National Tour[14] | West End[15] | Hamburg[16] | Australia[17] |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 2023 | 2024 | 2024 | 2025 | |
| Michael Jackson | Myles Frost | Roman Banks | Myles Frost | Benét Monteiro | Roman Banks / Ilario Grant |
| Teenage Michael / Young Adult Michael | Tavon Olds-Sample | Brandon Lee Harris | Mitchell Zhangazha | Prince Damien | Liam Damons |
| Little Michael | Christian Wilson / Walter Russell III | Josiah Benson / Ethan Joseph | Jaydon Eastman / Elliot Mugume / Ethan Sokontwe / Dylan Trigger | Luan Kizua | Blaiyze Barksdale / William Bonner / Cayden Dosoruth / Daniel Makunike |
| Jackie Jackson | John Edwards | Jay McKenzie | Tavio Wright | Prince Orji | Kyle Kavully |
| Tito Jackson /Quincy Jones | Apollo Levine | Josh A. Dawson | Rohan Pinnock-Hamilton | DNPRI | Conlon Bonner |
| Jermaine Jackson | Lamont Walker II | Bryson Jacobi Jackson | Simeon Montague | William Baugh | Loredo Malcolm |
| Little Marlon | Devin Trey Campbell | Jaylen Lyndon Hunter | Cristiano Cuino / Sekhani Dumezweni / Khanya Madaka / Aidan Oti | Nayo | Kayleb Alese / Charlie Batchelor / Zavier Pillay / Kael Smith |
| Marlon Jackson | Zelig Williams | Brion Marquis Watson | Toyan Thomas-Browne | Rafael Portela | Xavier Gibson |
| Randy Jackson | Raymond Baynard | Malcolm Miles Young | Aden Dzuda | Caleaf Henson | G Madison IV |
| Joe Jackson / Rob | Quentin Earl Darrington | Devin Bowles | Ashley Zhangazha | David Hughey | Derrick Davis |
| Katherine Jackson | Ayana George | Anastasia Talley | Phebe Edwards | Jessica Mears | Josslynn Hlenti Afoa |
| Berry Gordy / Nick | Antoine L. Smith | J. Daughtry | Matt Mills | Perci Moeketsi | Wonza Johnson |
| Rachel | Whitney Bashor | Mary Kate Moore | Philippa Stefani | Eve Rades | Penny McNamee |
| Alejandro | Gabriel Ruíz | Da'von Moody | Matt Gonsalves | Pedro Reichert | Yashith Fernando |
| Dave | Joey Sorge | Matt Loehr | Jon Tsouras | Mario Gremlich | Tim Wright |
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Performances on October 31 also include a special Halloween closing number of "Thriller"[21]
Recording for the original Broadway cast album took place on February 7 and 8, 2022.[22] The original Broadway cast recording was released on July 15, 2022.[23] The original cast recording was nominated for aGrammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album.[24]
The musical was announced in June 2018.[25] with backing of Michael Jackson's estate.[26] Wheeldon spoke about the musical, stating, "The show is very much anchored in one particular moment in time. I always bring up thefabulous movie thatSpielberg made aboutLincoln: You take one key moment, I suppose, in the history of someone's life and then sort of use that as an anchor point for past storytelling and, perhaps, some kind of prophecy of what's to come. We'll be doing that with this story." Asked about the dance and choreography, he said he "intend[s] to put quite a lot of Michael's work in the show".[27]
MJ was originally scheduled to premiere in Chicago in 2019, at theNederlander Theatre.[28][29] TheMichael Jackson estate canceled the Chicago tryout due to "scheduling difficulties" brought about by anActors' Equity Association strike.[30][31]
The musical was scheduled to debut on Broadway in mid-2020 but was postponed to 2021 due to theCOVID-19 pandemic. The production is directed and choreographed byChristopher Wheeldon, and it features a book by two-timePulitzer Prize winnerLynn Nottage.[32][33][34] Scenery for the production is designed byDerek McLane with costuming byPaul Tazewell.Natasha Katz andPeter Nigrini are collaborating on lighting and projection designs respectively.Gareth Owen designed sound production, with hair and wig design byCharles LaPointe.[35]Elijah Johnson took over as Jackson in March 2023 until August 2025.[19] Matte Martinez then stepped into the title role of the production in September 2025.[36]
A national tour began in Chicago at theNederlander Theatre on August 1, 2023, and is scheduled to run through August 3, 2025.[37][38] Jamaal Fields-Green took over as Jackson in July 2024.[39][40] Jordan Markus then stepped into the title role of the production in February 2025.[41][42]
The musical opened in theWest End at thePrince Edward Theatre, with previews beginning March 6, 2024 and an official opening night on March 27.[43] Frost reprised his role as Jackson.[44][45] Jamaal Fields-Green then went on to reprise the role as MJ in January 2025.[46][47] It is set to close on February 28, 2026, after running for less than two years.[48]
A German production is expected to play the Stage Theater an der Elbe atHamburg. Dialogue will be in German with the musical numbers remaining in English. Performances are scheduled to begin on December 1, 2024.[49]
An Australian production opened at theSydney Lyric Theatre on February 26, 2025.[50] Banks reprised his role as Jackson.[51] After the Sydney production was closed on August 23, the Melbourne production arrived atHer Majesty’s Theatre with Ilario Grant leading the role as Jackson on September 9.[52]
The show’s first international tour is set to begin in October 2026 in major cities across Asia for an initial two-year run. More details will be revealed in the coming months.[53]
The show is set to tour across the United Kingdom in 2027. More details for the upcoming tour will be revealed in due course.[54]
Ticket sales have averaged more than a million dollars per week on Broadway.[55][56][57] Following the Tony Awards, the weekly gross jumped to $1,661,000, with sold-out shows and brisk advance sales; it received the biggest box office jump that week on Broadway and recorded a new high for the show's sales.[58] By September 4, 2022, it broke the Neil Simon Theater's box office record five times with a total cumulative gross of $49.4 million.[59] As of January 2025,MJ the Musical on Broadway had grossed around $245 Million with a total attendance of 1,679,656 after 1,246 performances.[60] MJ The Musical has ranked amongst the top five highest grossing annual Broadway shows each year since its release.[61] By April 2024, MJ the Musical had sold more than two million tickets worldwide[62] eventually reaching sales of over 5 million by August 2025.[63]
MJ received mixed reviews from critics. Charles Isherwood ofBroadway News criticized Lynn Nottage's book, in particular, writing, "whereMJ loses its fleet footing is in the bland, exposition-heavy and often trite dialogue supplied by Nottage ... Clichés, preachy speeches, and baldly obvious dialogue abound."[64] Adam Feldman ofTime Out wrote, "'Listen to my music,' says Michael to his interviewer. 'It answers any questions you might have.' Does it? I left the theater entertained, but not convinced I had seen the man in the smoke and mirrors."[65] Maya Phillips ofThe New York Times wrote, "The musical is inherently hollow; the opacity of Michael Jackson and his life of traumas and controversies make it difficult to find material compelling and cohesive enough to tell a story onstage".[66] TheDeadline reporter Greg Evans said the musical was "visually and sonically ravishing",[67] while theChicago Tribune called the show's scenery gorgeous and the show "beautiful to experience throughout, which one almost never can say about jukebox musicals".[68] Peter Marks ofThe Washington Post also praised the show and the cast, especially the "utterly persuasive" Frost, and calledMJ "a riveting, adrenaline rush of a show".[69] Linda Armstrong ofAmsterdam News called the production "spectacular", "stunning" and "off-the-charts".[70] Joe Westerfield ofNewsweek said, "In many waysMJ is a living, breathing, even breathless, music video, but with that touch of inspiration, drive and art that only Michael Jackson can provide."[71]
| Year | Award | Category | Nominee | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Black British Theatre Awards | Best Musical | MJ the Musical | Won | |
| Best Musical Director | Sean Green | Won | |||
| Best Graduate | Kwamè Kandekore | Won | |||
| Best Child Performer | Dylan Trigger | Nominated | |||
| Best Supporting Female Actor in a Musical | Phebe Edwards | Nominated | |||
| 2025 | Laurence Olivier Awards | Best New Musical | MJ The Musical | Nominated | [80] |
| Best Actor in a Musical | Myles Frost | Nominated | |||
| Best Theatre Choreographer | Christopher Wheeldon | Won |
Over 400,000 tickets soldWild, Stephi."Emjay Roa Joins MJ THE MUSICAL as 'Little Michael' Tonight".BroadwayWorld.com. RetrievedMay 27, 2025.
MJ has played to over 1.8 million patrons on Broadway and has broken the box office record at the Neil Simon Theatre 11 times. The Broadway production currently stars Elijah Rhea Johnson. The North American Tour has played to over 1.5 million patrons
